Territory Traits
Territory traits modify relevant rolls that a character makes to interact with a territory. Most territory rolls will be modified by a territory trait modifier and a territory consolidation modifier. Think of territory traits as the “personality” of a territory. Characters who interact with a territory will experience the territory “pushing back”, helping or hindering their efforts. (Damnation City p. 251) The traits used to describe Districts aren’t as specific as characters’ Attributes, but are similarly arranged. Unlike character Attributes, which fall into Power, Finesse and Resistance categories, District traits fall into two, less rigid categories: Interactive and Reactive. 'Interactive' These traits are, very roughly, the traits that characters reach out and touch. Visitors to a District actively travel there, evoking Access modifiers. Investigators asking questions or doing research in the area are actively poking around, turning over the proverbial rocks, thereby invoking Information modifiers. Characters who try to fit into the neighborhood, or name-drop it somewhere else to get a bit of street cred, are actively interacting with the place’s reputation, and are therefore subject to its Prestige, good or bad. 'Reactive' These traits are, very roughly, the traits with which the District resists or responds to characters. Characters who want to break down doors or throw their weight around a District must contend with its Safety modifiers. Characters trying to lay low or sneak through must consider the place’s Awareness. Characters who get out of line or push the locals too far will find retribution modified by the neighborhood’s Stability. Access: This trait describes how easy it is to get into or out of the District, or to move around within it. Positive modifiers describe a neighborhood with ample cabs, a working subway or elevated train, bus lines, easy-to-navigate roads, reasonable traffic and street signs. Negative modifiers describe a neighborhood with no sidewalks, no passing cabs, no local subway station (or a lousy one), inconsistent buses, bad or broken roads, constant construction, missing signage and the like. Safety: This trait describes the likelihood of getting hurt within the District — whether you’re a stranger or a local. A District with positive Safety modifiers has locks on the doors, maybe bars on the windows, a reasonable expectation that the police will come if called, streetlights and so forth. A District with Safety penalties may be ramshackle, low-rent, behind the times or otherwise vulnerable; or it could simply be rife with thugs, drug-seekers, maniacs, wild dogs, bloodthirsty monsters and other dangerous creatures who believe they can hurt people and get away with it in this part of town. Consider how the Safety and Stability traits can interact, too: a highly stable neighborhood might not lock its doors, because it doesn’t fear its neighbors, while a block caught in the middle of a gang war might be heavily patrolled by police (for a positive Safety rating) but still ready to explode (due to its negative Stability). Information: The Information trait describes the volume or quality of information that can be gotten about the District from within the District. A neighborhood with a good Information rating has a local newspaper, kiosks with pinned-up flyers, posters for local events, community representatives, talkative passersby, a website, ATMs and/or public Internet access. If the locals are in touch with each other and have a strong sense of what’s happening in the community, the place has a positive Information trait — though they may still be unwilling to talk with outsiders if they have a poor Stability or Safety trait. A neighborhood with a lousy Information modifier is barren and dead to the eyes and ears: street signs may be missing, stores have signs that say only GAS or CHECKS CASHED, people avoid asking each other questions and they certainly don’t give out information to strangers who come nosing around. Awareness: Awareness is tied to Information, but is not dependant on it. Although a District theoretically needs good Awareness to be well-informed, that’s not necessarily the case. Information is the trait that benefits from Town Hall meetings, while Awareness is the trait that benefits from streetlights and a good view. Dark, crowded Districts littered with junk, where stained windows, long shadows and the drone of constant highway traffic overhead make it hard to see or hear, have big Awareness penalties. In those places, the locals might want to call the cops on the blood-seeking freak creeping around in the alley behind their garages, but they can’t if they don’t know he’s there. Districts with quality streetlights, motion-sensitive bulbs, good sight-lines and a quiet ambience have positive Awareness ratings. The people is these places are likely to notice someone climbing up the fire escape across the street, though they may not be involved enough to call the cops. Prestige: This trait may be tricky to understand, if only because it is not actually concerned with Prestige, per se. Rather, this trait describes how well regarded a neighborhood is, even if it is not actually prestigious. A District that is well-known, but reviled, has a high negative modifier in this trait. A neighborhood that “you know, seems okay, but I don’t know what it’s called,” has a very low but positive modifier in this trait. The higher the number, the greater the impact on people who are told about the place or taken there — the greater the draw and the further away its known. Positive numbers attract people, negative numbers keep them away. Consider how this trait is separate from Information, Safety and Stability: A place may be unsafe, unruly and poorly documented and still attract people to it. Maybe they come for the cheap drugs or the pussy, maybe they come for the novelty or the nightclubs, maybe they come for some last great restaurant holding out in the ruins of a once-great neighborhood. The point is, they come. Stability: Stability describes the feeling of community in the District, how likely locals are to come to each other’s aid or turn their backs on the suffering going on outside their windows. A District with a positive Stability modifier gives a shit about its neighbors, calls the police when it hears gunshots or comes running when there’s a fire. A District with a negative Stability modifier is eerily still and quiet and stays that way even while some kid is bleeding to death in the street from the bullet in his gut. Consider the ways this trait interacts with Safety. A neighborhood may be unsafe but defiantly maintaining its identity and camaraderie in the face of a drug war. A neighborhood may be well patrolled and generally law- abiding, but populated with coldly removed residents who figure it’s none of their business why the people next door are squeezing off automatic weapons. In a neighborhood that’s unsafe but stable, homeowners might shoot you themselves if you fuck with the block. In a neighborhood that’s unsafe and unstable, the neighbor who rushes to your side after you’re shot might just be there to loot your shit. 'Levels' ••••• This territory expresses the trait on an international level. It is one of the most places in the world. •••• This territory expresses the trait on a national or continental level. It is one of the most places in Germany or Europe. ••• This territory expresses the trait on a city level. It is one of the most places in Berlin. •• This territory expresses the trait on a moderate level. It is consistently more often than not. • This territory expresses the trait on a low level. It has slight tendencies towards being more often than not. Raises to 4 and 5 require justification on how you’re raising the trait to national or international levels. They can be denied based on inadequate justification even if you have made the rolls. Category:Systems